Through interconnected short stories that span the genres of young adult, speculative fiction, poetic prose, romance, erotica, and suspense, Kazim Ali explores the awakening of longing and lust against the traditions of family and the Islamic faith.

Lyrical, political, humorous, light and deep–Kazim Ali strikes out in many directions, allowing Uncle Sharif’s Life in Music to sing in many registers. The resulting harmonies–and even the discord–are beautiful.

• Justin Torres, author of We the Animals

Kazim Ali brings a poet’s awareness of sound and image to his sumptuous collection of stories, many of which link together and overlap in wonderful and surprising ways. Longing permeates the book–an aching for connection–but so too does humor and, ultimately, hope. A master of so many genres and forms–poetry, fiction, essay, memoir–Ali seems to manage the ultimate feat: to slip free from the limitations of these categories. These wise, deeply-felt, shapeshifting stories swim across vast oceans. - Rahul Mehta, author of Quarantine: Stories

About the Author: In addition to more than ten volumes of poetry, translations and essays, Kazim Ali is the author of four other books of fiction, Quinn’s Passage, The Disappearance of Seth, The Secret Room: A String Quartet and Wind Instrument. He teaches at Oberlin College in the Creative Writing and Comparative Literature programs.